Companion says that during a “previous life” five-year stretch of constant traveling, he would look down at all the little lights of the towns and cities he was flying over, realizing each one represented a collection of good stories – and wishing he could hear even just a few of them. That's how I was feeling as we headed the Jeep eastward along Beach Boulevard to the Green Room Brewery, via European Street Cafe (992 Beach Blvd.). We were headed for our first Rare Bottle Sharing meeting to be held that afternoon. Bottles of beer from all over the globe, each with its own story (or two), make their way from their respective brewery into the hands of those attending this tasting event to be eventually shared with like-minded enthusiasts every Sunday (the day maybe changing soon) at Green Room..
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| Kasteel Rouge |
We had arranged to meet Danny (see earlier post) at European Street to try something new for us – the Kasteel Rouge and St. Bernardus Abt. 12. Danny had proclaimed it was nothing short of “nectar of the gods” and we wanted to give them a try. During European Street's Happy Hour (2:00 to 7:00 pm – 7 days a week at this location), these brews are $1 off.
Upon arriving, we selected a high-top table not too far from the bar. Waiting for Danny's appearance, it was 10 minutes (I always time these things) before a server approached the table – a little surprising. However, Danny is apparently somewhat of a regular and the service got better once he joined us.
Kasteel's rather unique website contains this description for the Kasteel Rouge - “Castle Red is the fruit beer of the Castle range. Its unique dark red colour is obtained by mixing Castle brown that has been left to mature for at least 6 months with sour cherries. This beer has gastronomic qualities and can be drunk as an aperitif, with a BBQ, to accompany a dessert or simply as an outstanding real ale.”
I'm sure you've tried this before – if not, expect a taste bud-pleasing cherry flavor invasion of your mouth. Smooth and deceptive with an ABV of 8.0%, it doesn't take many of these to … well, you know …
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| St. Bernardus Abt. 12 |
The website for St. Bernardus declares: “The absolute top quality in the hierarchy of the St. Bernardus beers. It is also the beer with the highest alcohol content (10.50 %). A dark ivory coloured beer with a high fermentation.
The show piece of the brewery. Thanks to its soft and unconditionally genuine aroma, the beer can be smoothly tasted. The Abt has a very fruity flavour.”
The show piece of the brewery. Thanks to its soft and unconditionally genuine aroma, the beer can be smoothly tasted. The Abt has a very fruity flavour.”
Uh … 10.50% ABV? … hmmm. THAT explains a few things … smooth and fruity, indeed!
We appreciate Danny introducing us to these two brews – and European Street, Jacksonville Beach for a wonderful new-brew experience!
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| The Rare Bottle Sharing Krewe |
A quick Jeep ride later, we were entering the Green Room with Dogfish Head's 75-Minute IPA and their Namaste in hand, along with Southern Tier Brewing Company's Unearthly IPA and their Iniquity Imperial Black Ale to share with the group. Since it was our first time, the group educated us on their usual procedure which happily involves buying a pint of one of the brews available from the Green Room. That's easy!
An Undertow Orange Blossom Barleywine and a Head High IPA for me an companion, please!
Green Room provides this description of the Head High IPA on their website: “an aggressive American style India pale ale brewed with copious amounts of Amarillo and cascade hops for massive citrus aroma.”
The Undertow was brewed with local orange blossom honey and has a noticeable body.
“After me, the deluge” … so TRUE as I returned to the wagon train of tables assembled and joined together for this group. Bottles were being opened and small to healthy-medium tastes of many different styles of beer were being poured. When it was finally our turn, we offered the two Dogfish Head beers we brought (descriptions from Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales website):
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| Dogfish Head 75 Minute IPA |
75 Minute IPA - “Blend two Dogfish Head favorites, add maple syrup and carbonate the mixture naturally. What do you get? 75 Minute IPA.
The carbon dioxide trapped during bottle conditioning gives 75 Minute IPA a soft and velvety mouthfeel. Dry-hopped with whole-leaf Cascades, this complex IPA has been known to inspire pilgrimages to our brewpub.
Now were sharing this animated blend of 60 Minute and 90 Minute with the rest of our fans, 750 milliliters at a time. Food Pairing Recommendations include burgers, grilled meats and avocado.”
Concerning the Namaste - “A witbier bursting with good karma. Made with dried organic orange slices, fresh-cut lemongrass and a bit of coriander, this Belgian-style white beer is a great thirst quencher.
Namaste was originally brewed at our pub in Rehoboth Beach with our Italian friend Leo from Birra del Borgo. It was a tribute to our friends at 3 Fonteinen brewery in Belgium, who had devastating production loss (1/3 of their annual production) in 2009.
Our friends, Belgian brewer/blender Armand and his wife Lydie Debelder, recently suffered a heart wrenching production set-back at their brewery 3 Fonteinen. A brewery thermostat broke and as a result, excessive heat ruined about 100,000 bottles of lambic and gueuze in storage - representing about a third of their annual revenue. Armand hopes to distill the beer and create unique new product as a way of making the best of an unfortunate situation. Food Pairing Recommendations include Roasted turkey, Caesar salad, pasta with cream sauce, goat cheese.”
We also shared the Southern Tier brews we brought to the event:
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| Luch from Engine 15 & Ed Stansel of Amber Waves |
Southern Tier Brewing describes their Unearthly IPA : “At the Southern Tier Brewing Company, vigorously hopped beer is our standard and inspiration. We continue a commitment to innovation with our most aggressive offering yet. Unearthly is a manifestation of the brewer’s craft; skillfully balancing art and the forces of nature to produce a divine liquid. Delicately pour a taste into a fluted glass. Smell the enchanting aromas of the hops waft forward as your first sip divulges this beer’s fervent soul. To underestimate Unearthly is to trifle with the mysteries of the universe, so please consume wisely. Particularly tasty when paired with sharp artisan cheeses, curries, smoked brisket, spicy foods.”
Of the Iniquity, Southern Tier says : “Iniquity, depravity, sin, wickedness. The opposition to goodness. Iniquity is an ale as dark as night, hops and malts conceding the victory over conventional standards with this unapologetic black ale. Why do we call it Iniquity? It’s contrary to what one would expect from an IPA. A dark, malty ale with a huge hop profile seeping forward. A blackened ale, the antithesis of Unearthly. Particularly tasty when paired with roasted or smoked foods, blackened fish, oysters, steak.”
This group is so COOL! … included in this group is Beth and Ed Stansel, Mark, the genius behind the idea, and his wife Kathy and the rest consisting of David and Trish, Brian and several other fine folks.
The beers being sampled were too numerous to remember and I was too engaged to write anything down … hmmm … kind of sounds like “dog ate my homework”, huh? ...well. I'll do better next time!
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| That is one lucky pup! |
WOW! … this was so much fun! … there was no “bottle bogartin' “ going on – everyone was excited about sharing the fine brews which they had brought to the table. Some had wonderful stories associated with them – others did not – and the experience made it very difficult to find anything disappointing with any of those shared.
So, how many beers did the Jax Brew Bitch drink and/or sample? … let's say just enough to declare THIS wonderful event the end of that day's Prowl … well, that's MY story, anyway … and I'm stickin' to it ...
Thanks to Eric Luman and his crew at Green Room for providing such a unique opportunity and setting to fellowship and share with other beer lovers!
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